Wimbledon will follow the US and Aussie Opens in employing replay systems.
Replay systems are set to arrive at The Championships in the upcoming tournament.
Athletes are granted the ability to question specific calls from the official, mirroring the protocol currently in use at both the US Open and the Aussie major.
The new system is slated for use on the main stadium and Court One throughout the tournament and on the other four show courts when they are staging singles matches.
This development follows just a season following the AELTC introduced electronic line calling, which brought an end to the 147-year tradition of line judges.
What Can Be Reviewed?
Competitors will not be permitted to dispute the accuracy of the electronic line calling, but they can ask for the umpire to re-examine other situations, such as:
- Whether a tennis ball has bounced twice.
- If a ball made contact with an opponent's racquet or person during play.
- Potential interference end of a rally.
Importantly, there will be no limit on the amount of reviews a competitor can request.
A Recent Example
An illustrative example took place in Indian Wells last week, where Daniil Medvedev initiated the review system against his opponent.
Draper admitted it was a difficult call for the official, but thought his opponent had "used the regulations effectively."
The umpire viewed a video and determined Draper was guilty of hindrance, awarding the point to his opponent.
Broader Adoption
This technology are not exclusive to Grand Slams. It was adopted at the American major since 2023 and the Aussie Open this year.
Furthermore, it is increasingly prevalent on the WTA circuit, and by the coming year the men's ATP Tour will have the system implemented at all of its tournaments.
Other Changes
Another change at Wimbledon this year will be the addition of graphical cues on scoreboards to support the verbal announcements from the ELC system.
This addresses instances where the crowd have sometimes been uncertain whether a ball was in or out.
In other news, with exactly 100 days remaining until the beginning of the Championships, organizers have further revealed an expansion in daily attendance at the qualifiers in Roehampton.
